Have clear goals before picking event

Michael Lang is president of Lang & Associates, a Toronto-based international event marketing agency with offices in Vancouver, Montreal and Atlanta.

Jennifer Scace is an associate with Lang & Associates, and co-ordinator for the Event Marketing column. Contributions, ideas, media releases and feedback should be directed to Jennifer at (416) 229-0060 or fax (416) 229-1210.

The key to any successful event marketing program is the application of a strategic approach.

Before embarking on an event sponsorship, therefore, corporations should have a clear understanding of what they want to achieve, and should select events based on their ability to meet business needs, rather than on an emotional preference for a particular activity.

Creating a system to assist in the selection process will reduce subjectivity in decision-making, and more effectively measure the program against other marketing initiatives.

Event selection

One method for event selection is to assess the opportunity based on evaluation criteria established by the corporation.

Although subjective, this method can assist in decision-making by providing corporations with a means to identify opportunities that meet defined objectives; as well as act as a post-evaluation tool.

Once a list of criteria/objectives has been created, (i